Raplh Waldo Emerson cationed us to be wary of authorities, which usually serve to delude us. With that warning in mind, I'd like to turn my attention to the question of authorities in the recent presidency of George W. Bush.
Authority One: Education. George W. Bush graduated from three of the most highly regarded educational institutions in America: Andover (high school); Yale (undergraduate degree); and Harvard (MBA). Yet he was nonetheless a simpleton who had a hard time stammering out a cogent sentence. The lesson: A man or woman must stand on his own intelligence; when we assume that someone is intelligent because of his or her credentials, we are allowing an authority to cloud the issue and delude us.
Authority Two: Breeding. George W. Bush came from an aristocratic family. And in many people’s belief, that means that he ought to have been a superior human being with superior qualities. But we live in an age where evidence is everywhere that refutes that kind of thinking. And the achievements of George W. Bush stand apart as the greatest refutation of that kind of thinking in our history. The lesson: Breeding has nothing to do with any person’s intelligence or ability. We need to see people in a bigger way than that.
Authority Three: Conservatism. George W. Bush was supposed to be a model fiscal conservative, capable of implementing the conservative agenda: small government, diminishing constraints on business, and reduction of taxes on business. Yet in the end, he was incapable of implementing any of those things. His lack of insight and implementation on those points led him to preside over the biggest governmental bail-outs of the last half century. The lesson: Voting for Bush because he appeared to be capable of implementing a conservative agenda was a serious mistake.
Authority Four: Militarism. George W. Bush positioned himself as pro-military and as a result, he won a lot of votes. Somehow, he made the sale on this point to many conservative Americans. Yet if those voters had taken a closer look, they would have seen that he was not a veteran. Furthermore, he surrounded himself with other politicians, including his vice president, who had never been in the military. Finally, despite his posturing as a militarist, he proved to be incapable of planning or managing a war - a war which has now lasted longer than World War II and which cannot be won. The lesson: When serious things must be done, more than posturing is required. Voters need to look for the real thing, not puffery and smoke. And we need to realize that a military past is not absolutely needed in a military leader. What is needed is an openness to sound military advice – and the intelligence to separate good military advice from bad.
Authority Five: Spirituality. Bush positioned himself as a deeply religious Christian. And perhaps he is. (Far be it from me to cast verdicts about the religious beliefs of other.) Yet the fact remains that he sanctioned torture, enforced the death penalty and incarcerated people without following due process of law. The lesson: Don't accept people's statements about their beliefs. Watch what they do.
Authority Six: Being a defender of the constitution. Bush wooed conservatives by saying that he was one of them - a strict defender of constitutional rights. Yet by throwing away constitutional protections against the accused, he did more to unravel our central document than any other president in history. The lesson: Don't fall victim to empty flag-waving. Watch what people do.
And what about the future?
Well, we are going to find out, aren't we? One hopeful sign is that Barack Obama has, so far, resolutely tried to avoid playing the authority cards - in fact, he has said that there is not a red America and a blue America, but just one America. Thereby, he has expressed a willingness to sidestep the delusional marketing ploys that have dominated the process of president-making in the past. But how well will Barack Obama stand up in the transcendental spotlight? There is no way to know just now. But for the moment, let us all give him the gift of optimism. Or has he has said in his own writings, the power of hope.
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